Asia-Pacific women farmers’ forum concludes with a Declaration in Ahmedabad

Not far from Gandhi's India Ashram,around 90 women
farmers and representatives of rural women from 14 countries in South Asia,
Southeast Asia, and the Pacific regions came up with a declaration at the end
of the three-day Asia-Pacific Women Farmers Forum (APWFF) held in Ahmedabad,
Gujarat, India on 4-6 October 2017.

During the forum,
the participants discussed their initiatives and actions they have taken to
reduce poverty and hunger in their families and communities, as well as the
challenges and obstacles they face as they perform their roles in society development,
and the strategies they want to implement to fully achieve women’s potentials
as key stakeholders in sustainable development. The participants also
identified ways forward to sustain or replicate their efforts.

Asian Farmers
Association for Sustainable Rural Development (AFA) Secretary General Esther
Penunia stressed that the importance of conducting the forum is highlighted
into two (2) concerns: first is that Asia-Pacific region has the most number of
small-scale family farmers in the world at 70%. She noted that it is the small
scale family farmers that feed the world. And second, women in family farmers
do as much as 70-90% of the work but are not recognized, are underpaid, and
underprivileged.

In her opening
remarks, AFA Vice-Chair Zashada Begum recounted the plight of women farmers in
her country, Bangladesh, saying that women farmers in her country are not
recognized. She expressed hope that the forum will be a venue to discuss the
future of women farmers and that the participants can come up with consolidated
issues and challenges and provide ways on how to overcome these.

Meera Mishra of
the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) stressed that the
forum is a very important platform not only for sharing experiences of the
farmers, but to also to talk about new innovations. “All women farmers should
also be encouraged to learn basic technology and be open to technologies. Only
then can you be open to new opportunities,” she says.

Self Employed
Women’s Association (SEWA) Executive Director Reema Nanavaty also said that the
meeting could also be for finding ways on how to create more opportunities for
women. Furthermore, she expressed hope that the result of the deliberations
will make a big way for policies of India and will be brought to International
Labour Organization (ILO) in 2019 to be included in the discussion on the
future of women and young farmers in Asia. “We will all work together to
improve the lives of women farmers and their families and give integrity to the
farming profession by doing the work that we do,” she added.

The forum aimed
to make appreciation for women farmers in addressing food security, nutrition
and climate change in general, and to identify key action points to strengthen
these role of women. For three days, the participants shared their work, gave
analysis, insights and perspectives and outlined ways forward.

The farmers use
solar energy to power the machineries they use in salt farming including
machines to monitor salinity level, pumping, etc. One has to remember Gandhi's Salt march in 1930,

against the
British salt monopoly, which gained worldwide attention to the India's independence movement.

INDIA : SEWA’S
INITIATIVES.

SEWA Executive Director Reema Nanavaty says SEWA believes in full
employment and self-reliance of its members. Two-thirds of SEWA’s members are
rural dwellers. They organized small women farmers and have been able to reach
out to more than half a million of farmers in India.

According to Ms.
Nanavaty, SEWA provides various technical services to its members and they also
partner with private companies. SEWA also invests in climate smart agriculture
by bringing in technology such farm planning to maximize the production and
profit of the land by not relying on one crop alone. They also did innovation
to improve access of bank for farmers.

“If we want to
support family farmers and improve labor force in your community, own up the
value chain of your product,” she stressed.

SEWA recently
marked its 45th year as an organization.

SEWA was founded in 1972 by Gandhian and civil
rights leader Ela Bhatt as a branch of Textile Labour Association (TLA), a
labour union founded by Gandhi in 1918.

SRILANKA: KANDYAN HOME
GARDEN.

Ms. Deniyage Samanthi Manjula and Mr. Lalith Abeysinghe presented the Sri
Lanka case study which is a story of a group of women owning a small plot of
land called Kandyan Home Garden. Through MTCP2, the women were encouraged to
organize themselves and asked to maximize the land and nature. MTCP2 programme
helped them build confidence in leadership and gave them trainings to add
values to their crops, and proper production of spices and processed coffee.
The value addition of their own products boosted the women’s confidence and
hope. They were also mobilized to help needy people and participated in protest
campaigns.

INDIA: WOMEN & MEN
FOR ALL. Catila Jane Palmar have been associated with SEWA for the past 20 years.
She used to be a small producer of
millet but could not even earn enough to provide two meals for her family. She
underwent horticulture training though SEWA and gained knowledge and
confidence. Consequently, she improved her. She also began livestock management
for additional source of income. Furthermore, she took a loan from SEWA to buy
a solar light which she used in her work. Not long after, she was able to pay
the solar lantern from the increase of her income. She also used to sell
flowers to traders because she did not know to where to sell. She then took
another loan to buy a cellphone which she used to search for data on prices of
flowers in the market. She learned where to sell flowers with better prices.
This made her realize that many farmers are on the same situation as her so she
set up Rudi Company. In Rudi project, they procure their produce and sell it to
their members as well. They are currently working in various places in India, Sri
Lanka and Nepal.

LAOS : INTEGRATED FARMING.
Bouachanch Sivilay used to grow crops only for food consumption. In 2009, a
local NGO that support sustainable agriculture gave a training which she
participated in. She got together with a group of 7 people who learned how to
do organic production. When they had enough produce, they tried to do organic
marketing. In 2014, her group became a member of Laos Farmer Network where she
learned more techniques on organic farming. At the present, her group has 97
women members growing organic crops and providing welfare for their families.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: EDUCATE THE
WOMEN. Ms. Maria Linibi says that in Papua New Guinea, they do not communicate
much as they have many languages, women are not educated, and most do not know
how to use smart phones. She also noted that women work better with other women
than with men.

Their group, Papua
New Guinea Women in Agricultural Development Foundation (PNGWiADF), used the multi-sectoral
approach for their initiatives in agriculture. They talked to the government
and partnered with other institutions. PNGWiADF has women farmers who grow
coffee, who are in horticulture, mining, etc.

Ms. Maria ended
her presentation by saying, “If you are educating a man, you are educating an
individual. If you are educating a woman, you are educating an entire family.”

KYRGYSTAN : WATER IS LIFE.

WUA Federation in
Kyrgyzstan is in charge of distribution of water. In 1996 a land reform was
carried in accordance with the government program to transfer from common
collective farming to individual private farming. Since all water canals became
ownerless, the country had to carry out water reform. Thus the Water User
Association was established. WUAs took responsibility of repairing, maintaining
and operating irrigation structures.

The organization
aims to unite WUAs taking irrigation water from one source, to deliver required
amount of water at the right time, to properly record water use, to increase
confidence of water users, to collect irrigation service fee from water users,
and for sustainability.

Expected results of
WUA Federation’s programs are sustainability, an organization
capable of managing off-farm and on-farm irrigation systems without external
support, and support of WUAs through consultations.

According to Ms. Bratashova Irina & Ms. Natalia
Manchenko, the federation’s
achievements so far include its establishment and current functions, good
collection of irrigation service fee from water users, repayment of technical
credit for machinery, operation, and maintenance not only on-farm canals but
the whole off-farm system including headworks.

JAPAN : COMMUNITY
SUPPORTED AGRICULTURE. Ms. Akiko Aratani of narrated a story about their
farming village in Menno, Ainoka, Japan. In their farm, located in the northernmost
part of Japan, they raise 400 chickens and grow crops including rice, herbs,
grapes, and wheat. Currently, there are about 80 households in their community
who eat the produce in their farm.

They have a
program called CSA (community supported agriculture). In the beginning of the
farming season, they announce what they will grow. Those who want to buy their
produce can either go to the farm to get 10-15 varieties of vegetable every
other week, while others may also opt for delivery. They target those living in
the cities who usually do not have families who farm and grow crops. Ms. Akiko
said that, “By sharing food, we work with city people. It is our belief that
life is more sacred than basic commodity.”

The village has a
small bakery that hosts their produce.

They also teach children
about farming.

CHINA: FOR MORE WOMEN,
FOR BETTER LIFE. In 2005, Ms. Kou Hongyan of China went back to her village to start the egg layer breeding business. She established
the YINONGYUAN cooperative in 2007 with local female farmers. Over the years, YINONGYUAN coop has developed
a series of business including layer breeding with yellow meal worm, apple
planting, and agricultural tourism.

In 2015, in order to resolve the problem of apple
overstocking, she tried to introduce new sale channels, such as online
marketing, TV home shopping, and mobile shopping.

In 2016, YINONGYUAN coop started to combine the online
shopping business with agricultural tourism. Ms. Kou introduced the smart box,
with which tourists can conveniently search and book products of the coop on
their phones. They also established the first rural ON&OFFline shop in
Beijing. They created garden trusteeship module to help increase the
income of local poor. They changed the
traditional idea of agricultural production, and innovated the new types of
development model, and improved the local livelihood.

YINONGYUAN has played an important role in solving social problem of the
community. Starting 2014, they have assisted
the local procurator to help 8 youth who have commit misdemeanors to master
the ability to earn a living by studying ecological farming.

Mrs. Kou has been awarded “national rural science and technology female
expert”, “Beijing labor model”, “Beijing outstanding contribution talents” and
other titles. She believes the cooperatives provide her a platform to show her
value and give her a chance to realize her beautiful farmer dream.

YINONGYUAN has built their training center in 2014 in order to enhance
the comprehensive abilities of local farmers, such as farm technology, product
marketing, policy explaining, etc. As a result of the training, local farmers
has more job opportunities and obvious increasing income. In
2016, YINONGYUAN trained
more than 3500 farmers, coordinated 28 female farmers to improve their
cooperatives, and attract 30 coops to join in the Women Agriculture Business
Federation.

Ms. Kou said that
her dream is to train more women farmers to earn more from their farm.